internet shutdown

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Gabonese soldiers stand in front of the headquarters of the national broadcaster in Libreville on January 7, 2019, after a failed coup. Gabon shut down the internet and broadcasting services following the coup attempt. (AFP/Steve Jordan)

Gabon shuts down the internet and broadcasting services following coup attempt

Abidjan, January 7, 2019–Gabon’s government on Monday morning shut down the internet and broadcasting services following an attempted coup against President Ali Bongo, according to digital rights groups Netblocks, and Internet Without Borders, news reports, and local journalists and civil society organizations with whom the Committee to Protect Journalists spoke.

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Late voters check a list in a school in Kinshasa on December 30, during Democratic Republic of Congo's general elections. Authorities have cut internet access and blocked the signals to at least two news broadcasters while the results are counted. (AFP/Luis Tato)

DRC authorities cut internet and broadcast signals after election

New York, January 3, 2019–Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo should immediately take steps to ensure citizens have access to the internet and news outlets as the country awaits the results of its election, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The government has cut access to internet and SMS services, blocked the signals…

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A protest in Addis Ababa on September 17, over clashes that left at least 23 people dead. Access to mobile internet was cut during the unrest. (AFP/Maheder Haileselassie Tadese)

In Ethiopia, mobile internet cut in the capital amid clashes and protests

Nairobi, September 21, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today urged Ethiopian authorities to ensure internet is available, including during times of unrest when access to information provided by journalists is crucial. Mobile internet was unavailable in the capital, Addis Ababa, from September 17 to the morning of September 19 amid protests and clashes, according to…

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Iraqis shout slogans as security forces form a human barrier during ongoing protests in the southern city of Basra on August 5, 2018. Between July 14 and September 6, 2018, at least seven Iraqi journalists were assaulted or detained while covering protests, and the offices of two local media outlets were set on fire. (AFP/Haidar Mohammed Ali)

Iraqi authorities shut down internet, detain and assault journalists amid protests

Between July 14 and September 6, 2018, at least seven Iraqi journalists were assaulted or detained while covering protests over government corruption and the lack of basic services in several cities across Iraq, and the offices of two local media outlets were set on fire, according to news reports, the journalists’ employers, the local press…

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Police sit in a vehicle in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Kinshasa, on February 25, 2018. Amid protests called by the Catholic Church, the DRC Telecommunications Ministry repeatedly orders internet and SMS shutdowns. (Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)

DRC authorities cut access to internet and SMS ahead of protests

On December 30, 2017, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Telecommunications Minister, Emery Okundji, ordered the country’s telecommunications providers to shut internet and SMS services across the country, according to a media report and the local press freedom group L’Observatoire de la liberté de la Presse en Afrique, (the Observatory of Press Freedom in Africa or…

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Commuters in Mumbai use their mobile phones as they wait at a bus stop with a telecom advertisement on July 10. The majority of India's internet users connect via their mobile devices. India recently adopted a rule that allows the government to temporarily shut down internet and telecommunications services in the event of an emergency. (Reuters/Shailesh Andrade)

India issues sweeping rule on internet shut-offs

New Delhi, August 31, 2017–Indian authorities should stop arbitrarily blocking the internet, and refrain from issuing regulations that give legal backing to frequent internet shutdowns in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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DRC halts Internet access and cellphone services amid protests

New York, January 22, 2015–Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday shut down Internet access and SMS service for mobile phones throughout the country after nationwide demonstrations led to deadly clashes with police, according to news reports.

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Syria must restore Internet access immediately

New York, November 29, 2012 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the Internet and cell phone shutdown in Syria today which disconnects Syrians from the world as they endure conflict.

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Libya’s disordered Internet

Craig Labowitz at Arbor has been sifting through the evidence of how countries in the Middle East have been blocking and throttling the Internet in the last week. His analysis indicates that while both Bahrain and Yemen had periods of slowed or impaired access, only Libya seems to have taken the drastic step of shutting off the…

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What the Internet loses from Egypt’s disappearance

Last night at 20:54 UTC, Noor Group, the only remaining Internet service provider in Egypt with a consumer broadband service, depeered with the rest of the Internet. There are now only 12 Egyptian networks connected to the Net, none of which appear to be offering public connections.

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